Re: On the line

: : Looking for origin of 'on the line' i.e. Your job is on the line. Thx.

: "Lay it (put it) on the line" dates back to the 1940s and means "to be absolutely honest, to declare one's feelings, one's attitude." ("Cassell's Dictionary of Slang" by Jonathon Green, Wellington House, London, 1998.) Another book says the literal meaning of the expression is to hand over money to someone. ("The Pocket Dictionary of American Slang" by Harold Wentworth and Stuart Berg Flexner, Pocket Books, New York, 1960, 1967)

: I am guessing that this expression (lay it on the line) and "your job is on the line" are tied to gambling -- putting your money on the line. You are at risk of losing.

The OED recognizes the expression, but does not explain its origin. " f. to lay (or put) it on the line: (a) to hand over money; (b) to state (something) clearly, plainly, or categorically; (c) (with direct object) to put (one's career, etc.) at risk. Also with place, and the verb to be. Chiefly U.S." Many citations from 1929 on. SS